An Adamawa State High Court has sentenced three men to death for kidnapping two Catholic priests, Reverend Fathers Matthew Dutsemi and Abraham Sauman, in February 2025, marking the seventh death sentence reportedly secured by the Department of State Services (DSS) in 2026.
Justice Christopher Mapeo, delivering judgment on Thursday, found Taledo Demiel, Namomai Medan and Mikaila Yusuf guilty of criminal conspiracy to commit kidnapping and armed robbery, armed robbery, harbouring a kidnapped person, and negotiating to receive ransom.
The ruling comes amid a series of capital convictions across Nigeria involving kidnapping, terrorism, armed violence and other serious crimes.
Among the earlier cases cited were the May 20 sentencing of Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar by an Ekiti State High Court for kidnapping, and the June 3 death sentences handed to four men convicted over the June 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
Other reported convictions include cases in Katsina and Kogi states in June, as well as two separate terrorism- and kidnapping-related cases in Sokoto State in June and September.
The latest judgment underscores continuing judicial action against kidnapping and violent crime in Nigeria.
However, the sentences remain subject to any applicable appeal processes and legal procedures.